Sugars have an important significance in the diet, among other things they help our brain to work. We are genetically programmed to seek out sweet foods. The problem is that in comparison with our ancestors, exposure to sugar is exponentially higher.
The negative impact that sugar, particularly refined sugar, has in our health is no news (diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases are related to high sugar consumption). However, we tend to overlook the negative effect that sugar has on our skin.
There is no way to stop aging, but there are natural ways in which we can slow the process and keep healthy skin.
The way our body process sugar causes skin aging. A sugar molecule bonds to a protein or a fat molecule, together they break down collagen and elastin. These two proteins are the ones in charge of giving our skin that youthful look; if they break down, wrinkles will appear or will be more pronounced.
Sugar consumption has also been associated with acne. Sugar causes inflammation that goes through all the body and causes spikes in insulin levels. Spikes in insulin increase the production of skin oils which can clog the pores.
What to do?
Avoid the obvious suspect: sodas, juices, and all processed beverages, desserts, and artificial sweeteners. Sodas and artificial sweeteners are particularly bad for you as they have zero nutritional value. If you want to drink something with flavor add to water some drops of lemon, some leaves of mint, slices of cucumber, or fruit.
Change artificial sweeteners for natural sweeteners like stevia, erythritol, or yacon syrup which avoid sugar picks.
We all like some dessert from time to time, but we can use the sugar that is already present in nature with no need to add more sugar. As it is well known, fruits are nature desserts. What about some banana ice cream? Frozen some bananas and put them in a blender with some grounded cinnamon, or vanilla extract, or cacao nibs. It is a delicious healthy snack!
The biggest challenge is the hidden sugar. It is amazing how sugar has been added to foods that are not even sweet like bread, salad dressings, and soy sauce. To detect hidden sugar, it is important to learn how to read labels and to know all the synonyms of sugar. Adults must not consume more than 6 teaspoons of sugar (25 grams).
The food industry tends to divide the content of sugar into several names on labels to confuse us. As a general rule, everything that ends up with “ose” (e.g., sucrose, fructose, maltose, and glucose) and anything that is syrup is sugar.
The safest advice is to avoid processed food in all its forms. Add olive oil and vinegar, or lemon to your salads. Cook from scratch. Cooking does not need to be a 2-hour thing. You can prepare healthy and delicious dishes in 30 min or less!
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